It's A Family Thing
by TygerSong
Summary: Adrien wakes up to a surprise in the middle of the night, and an old friend pays an unexpected visit.
1. It's a Family Thing

Plagg had warned him that flashes of bad luck might strike even after they'd said their goodbyes and he'd gone to a new miraculous holder. Adrien could remember everything about that day; from becoming a father to saying goodbye to his pocket-size partner in crime. It hadn't been easy (well, getting rid of the last wheel of cheese had been), but the agreement to stop being superheros to become full-time parents was a hard one, but a choice that he and Marinette had agreed was worth it. But those words stuck with Adrien.

"The bad luck is still gonna strike here and there, kid," he'd said. And it had. Usually it wasn't anything too bad. Once a tree branch in a storm broke their window, and another time he'd hit a deer with a rental car while touring in America, but being as wealthy as he was, it wasn't a big deal.

Getting robbed two times in one month was a big deal.

"What if Emma had been home by herself?" Marinette had worried. "She could have been hurt, or- or kidnapped, or held for ransom, or…"

"I know," Adrien sighed, kneeling to pick up what used to be their security system. It had been quite thoroughly demolished using…

"A fork, a magnet, and a lighter?" He exclaimed, almost laughing. "Seriously? That's all it took?"

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "Next time, I'm picking the security system. We need to Ladybug proof this house."

Adrien's brow furrowed. "You don't think this is—"

Marinette waved him off though, "No— well... I don't think so. There's not enough… finesse. I was just thinking the thought process was similar, that's all. I don't think Tikki would be so easily misused."

"No one thought Nooroo would be either, but my father did a number on him," Adrien reminded her. She sighed, and raked a hand through her hair, letting the short bob slip between her fingers.

"Yeah, maybe. I guess it could have been a freudian slip, but… I don't know. Let's wait for more clues before we jump to conclusions."

He nodded and swept up the rest of the pieces into a pile. "What did they take this time?"

"Just that hideously gaudy ashtray your father sent us."

"Good."

They both giggled.

She held the dust pan for him and he swept the pieces onto it. "They did seem to be looking for something though," she said. "They left a really big mess, and only took one thing. It doesn't add up."

"No," he agreed, dumping the pan in the garbage bag. "It doesn't. Do you think they were looking for… special jewels?"

She sighed again. "Only if they actually have Tikki and the Ladybug Miraculous. And if they did, wouldn't Master Fu or Nino tell us?"

"Master Fu wouldn't tell us if he thought we wanted to stay out of it," Adrien pointed out. "Like we agreed on fifteen years ago. He could have forbidden Nino from telling us. Could be why he's been avoiding me."

Marinette pouted. "But that would mean Alya's in on it too. She said he's just been busy with DJ gigs."

Adrien shrugged. "Maybe he is," he said. "Like you said, this is all just speculation. Ladybug and Chat Noir speculation, not Adrien and Marinette speculation. It might be that we're just unfortunate, wealthy targets of a thief who likes incredibly ugly ashtrays."

"But what if it isn't?" Marinette said. "Crime rates like these haven't been seen in decades. Even when we fought Hawkmoth, petty theft wasn't this bad. It could be connected. A Ladybug thief would do exactly that. Become a sort of inspiration and leader to the bad guys like she was to heros when we were the Miraculous wielders. What if the world wasn't ready for us to retire? What if this is—"

"Marinette!" She cut of abruptly and stared at him. He was giving her a half-worried smile that usually meant, 'You're overthinking again.' Marinette held his gaze for a moment, then deflated, like the air from a tense balloon.

"You're right," she said. "I'm getting ahead of myself. I guess I'm just feeling… itchy because of all the crime picking up around Paris, and Master Fu and Nino haven't said anything about recruiting new Miraculous holders."

Adrien smiled sympathetically, held out his arms for a hug, and held her when she fell into him. "I know," he said, mumbling into her silky hair. "I want to do something too, but they know what they're doing, and we promised that she comes first."

He could feel his wife sigh dramatically. "Yeah," she agreed. "Emma first." She drew back to look him in the face. "But how much longer before the crime becomes a danger to her specifically? Look at what happened?" She gestured again to the pile of "security" sitting in the garbage bag.

Adrien looked down at it. "We could… hire a bodyguard." The moment the words came out of his mouth, he felt like he'd punched himself in the face. "Oh, jeez, no. Pretend I didn't say that. No bodyguards. I'd rather quit my job and guard her myself than that."

"Okay," she agreed. "No bodyguards. What else can we do? Guard dog?"

Adrien bristled with old instincts. "No dogs."

She grinned and muttered something that sounded like, "Old habits die hard."

They heard the front door to their home swing open and slam shut.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" A voice called. There was a pause then, "Why is this window broken?"

They both groaned.

"We'll talk more later," Marinette proposed.

* * *

When Adrien woke to the sound of rattling and breaking glass coming from downstairs, he was sure that the thief was back, and he was determined to catch the perpetrator. Looking at Marinette, who was still fast asleep, he considered waking his partner for old times sake, but she might beat him with a pillow for something as simple as taking down a comon house crook.

Bringing the baton he kept on his nightstand, he crept silently down the stairs, towards the kitchen— the source of the noise.

"—now I have this big mess to clean up!" came a harsh whisper. "And I have to come up with a story as to why one of our fancy dishes just magically disappeared in the middle of the night."

"Well, maybe you guys shouldn't stash your china above the fridge," drawled an uncaring voice— a rather familiar uncaring voice.

"Maybe if you weren't such a pig—"

A gasp.

"You take that back! We cats are much more refined than the comon swine."

The whisperer, a girl, snorted. "Most cats are."

Adrien blinked and nearly choked. There was only one talking, cheese-eating, piggish cat he knew about.

He turned the corner into the kitchen and there, illuminated by the light of the refrigerator, was his only daughter, Emma, and his old companion, Plagg.

They both stared at him, the former wide-eyed and gobsmacked with horror, the other far too casual.

"Oh, hey kid," he said to Adrien. "Nice bedhead."


	2. Well Met

She'd always been quiet. It wasn't that she never had anything to say, it was more that she'd rather observe, and only share when she thought it relevant or important, or if someone asked her honest opinion. She wasn't stuck up, stupid, or shy, Emma was just… quiet.

But when people got her talking on something she was passionate about, _oh boy_ , could she _talk._ It was like someone would open the floodgates, and every knowledgeable tidbit of information she had on the subject would come tumbling out of her mouth. Her friends and family affectionately called these moments, "The Emma Station" or "Talkshow Hour with Emma Agrest."

In that moment though, sitting on the couch in front of both parents, in the middle of the night, while her partner unhelpfully sat on her shoulder, snacking away on his cheese, she honestly couldn't think of a single word. Her mind was blank, and her hands were starting the sweat.

Actually, all of her was starting to sweat. Her parents hadn't said a word either. They all just kind of… stared at each other, waiting for someone to either fess up or _blow_ up. Every time one of them would move to speak, the other two would freeze in apprehension, and the tension would get so thick that that person would lose their nerve, and then they'd all be back to square one.

After all, how would one begin such a discussion?

" _Greetings mother and father, this is my floating cat, Plagg. By the way, I'm a superhero!"_

That'd go over well.

As usual though, it was Marinette who took the lead.

"So, Plagg?"

The kwami stopped chewing long enough to say, "Yeah?"

Emma's head whipped to the side.

"Wait," she said, heart slowing in it's lightning speed panic for a moment. "You all _know_ each other?"

"A little _too_ well if you ask me," her dad said, and she saw the beginnings of a grin on the corners of his lips. "Do you know how many times people informed me I smelled like cheese because _this guy_ was hiding in some article of clothing of mine? Marinette was lucky; it was socially acceptable for her to wear a purse to hide her kwami, who ate _cookies_. I couldn't even get away with wearing a shoulder bad most days unless it was for school, and even then, my bodyguard insisted on carrying it for me."

Confusion only clouded her mind for a moment before it lifted and shocking realizations struck.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, hardly believing what she was hearing. "Are… are you telling me… that my parents, _you guys_ , the busiest teenagers to have ever met and fallen in love, were _Ladybug and Chat Noir?"_

She didn't mean to screech, but her role models had just revealed themselves to be her role models.

"She's too smart and nice for Plagg," Adrien complained unconvincingly to Marinette. "Maybe Master Fu will let her trade him in for Trixx? Or maybe Pollen?"

Plagg and Marinette simultaneously rolled their eyes.

" _You_ were too smart and nice for Plagg, and you turned out to be the perfect Chat Noir," she pointed out.

"And besides," Plagg added, popping the last chunk of cheese in his mouth. "She's _perfect._ "

Adrien twitched. " _Puuuurrr_ fect," he corrected.

Everyone collectively groaned.

"Alright," Marinette said, her voice taking on the authoritative tone again. "So now that we have that established," she turned again to the cat kwami. "Why have you been activated, Plagg? Is Tikki okay?"

He paused in contemplation, considering how much he should share. Fu never said, 'Don't share if they find out themselves.'

"You don't miss a thing, do you?" he said finally, deflating a little. "Yes, Tikki has been taken, along with the tiger, the dog, and the kobra miraculouses."

"How?" Adrien blurted. "All four were with Master Fu. All the miraculouses were accounted for and under his protection. How could they have been taken?"

Plagg gave him a resigned look.

"He's not infallible, Kid," he said. "In case you haven't noticed, he's kind of getting up there in age." He floated off of Emma's shoulder, and hovered in the middle of their circle.

"Three weeks ago, five masked, _armed_ people came to Fu's store. They seemed to know who he was and knew exactly what they were looking for. Luckily, Nino was there too, and he did his best, but he couldn't protect us all. Four were taken, and I would have been too if Nino hadn't managed to hide me and a few others he managed to grab when they weren't looking. They believed he had stashed us away elsewhere for safekeeping. They roughed him up a bit, but then they got a call and left as quickly as they'd come.

He and Fu decided it would be best if they just chose one Miraculous holder to sniff out some clues and report back, but not engage directly. Emma was chosen, not because we wanted to get you guys involved all over again, but because she really was the best candidate for the Black Cat miraculous we'd seen in a while. I mean, the daughter of a Black Cat and a Ladybug? Incredible. Throw in those natural cat instincts she already has? Even better."

Emma blushed when both parents turned to regard her.

"She has always had a penchant for sneaking up on people," Adrien agreed. "But why can't she have a partner? I had Ladybug. Doesn't Fu realize how dangerous it is sending her against _four_ other holders without any backup? Especially her counter?"

"But she's not going up against them," Plagg said. "Not yet at least. And having a partner that isn't Ladybug would be a really bad idea. Chaos, destruction, plagues, the possibilities go on. We can work with others, but Ladybug has to be present."

"Then why activate the Black Cat at all?" Marinette asked. "The best counter for the Cobra would be the Pig and the Dragon for the Dog. The Black Cat would be an outright disadvantage to the Dog."

"But the Black Cat and the Fox are the best at finding clues," Plagg said. "We needed someone who could both _find_ the elusive thieves, and fight them later on. Black Cat is best for both."

Marinette didn't look convinced, but accepted his explanation for the time being.

"Can I talk?" Emma asked.

They all started and turned to her, almost forgetting she was there.

Go figure.

"Of course you can," Adrien said, crouching to sit on his heels, and Emma suddenly realized what a catlike trait it was, especially when _he_ did it. She wondered at other things he did, and wondered what habits were the result of having once been a Miraculous holder. Plagg had already warned her that bad luck and cat-like characteristics would slowly start becoming more prominent in her life the longer she had the miraculous.

"So apparently Uncle Nino is in on this somehow too," she said. "And this Master Fu guy is supposed to protect all of the Miraculous?"

"Correct," Plagg agreed lazily.

"He's the one who would have chosen you," Adrien explained further.

Emma nodded. "Right, okay, so Uncle Nino and Master Fu were robbed and four Miraculous were stolen. Plagg already told me I'm supposed to be looking for clues, which so far has just been running around Paris doing absolutely nothing, but… what exactly am I supposed to do if I find out where they are?"

Both overprotective parents turned narrowed eyes on Plagg, who still couldn't seem to muster up enough energy to look truly concerned.

"Good question," he asked.

Marinette sighed. "I guess strategy will have to wait for when you find something useful," she said. "There are four other Miraculous wielders out there now; they're bound to come out of hiding sooner or later." She paused to consider, then her brow furrowed. "Just how late have you been staying up on these patrols, young lady?"

Emma tried not to look too sheepish.

"Later on the weekends, but no later than eleven or twelve most nights…"

Marinette sighed. "I guess it would be hypocritical of me to get mad, huh?"

Emma shared a cautious victory grin with her dad.

"But!" They both straightened. "If patrolling is all you're doing for now, and there's no reason to sneak off, I expect that to change right away. No later than ten unless you call with a good excuse to come later."

Emma's shoulders slouched. "I'm a hero with a curfew?"

"Could be worse," Adrien consoled.

Emma considered, and shuffled a bit in her seat.

"So you're not going to make me stop?" she asked.

"No!"

"Yup."

Everyone turned to look at Adrien, and Marinette glared dangerously. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Kidding!" he said. "I'm kidding! But all joking aside, I've gotta warn you that this is going to take up a lot of your time. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Emma nodded, completely sure of herself. "Of course! Especially now that I know _you guys_ were _Ladybug and Chat Noir!_ "

A proud smile tugged at Adrien's lips, and a warm glow erupted in his chest. He knew that if he still could, he'd be purring.

"It could mean a few sacrifices," he warned. "Your social life will be just about non-existent. You might not have as much time to practice ballet, or you might have to quit your job at the groomers."

That struck Emma a little harder. "Do I have to quit right away?"

"No," he assured. "If you want to try balancing it, you can sure give it a try but… you know, I wasn't really busy all the time just because I was a model and a superhero at your age. I had piano lessons, chinese lessons, fencing… and sometimes it got overwhelming. Just know that you might be forced to prioritize."

She swallowed hard, imagining the years of blood, sweat, tears, and dedication towards the ballet program just… washing away. But then, she didn't want to give up her new job either.

"I… I understand," she sighed. "If it gets to be too much, I'll ask for less hours at the groomers. If it's not enough, I'll just stop."

"What's the big deal anyway?" Plagg asked. "Your parents are rich, and that place smells. I say good riddance."

Adrien and Emma gave him identical green-eyed glares.

"No one asked you, Plagg."

"By the way," Marinette said, sending a little glance towards the shattered china dish still scattered across the kitchen floor. "What exactly where you don't tonight? It wasn't… _you_ who broke the security alarm, was it?"

Emma looked insulted. "Of course it wasn't me!" she said. "I think I know how to get passed a security system without breaking it.

Adrien snickered appreciatively, and muttered something about "little cat burglars." Marinette ignored him.

"What were you doing up so late, then?"

Emma allowed herself a short moment to preen. "Plagg and I were guarding the house."

Her dad tilted his head— another simple action with cat-like qualities to it.

"Guarding the house?"

"From the thief," Emma elaborated. "Plagg and I had a theory that maybe the thief was the Ladybug Miraculous holder. Now knowing that Uncle Nino is involved, I'm starting to think that maybe they suspect he left the Black Cat Miraculous, as well as a few others, here for safekeeping. You guys are his closest companions other than Aunt Alya."

They all considered.

"It's a bit of a stretch, but definitely not impossible," Marinette said, and Adrien nodded.

"Especially considering how often he comes over— well _did_ come over until he got to busy to… now wait just a second; Nino knew my daughter had my old Miraculous this whole time, and instead of telling me, he just avoided me?"

"We'll yell at him later," Marinette assured. "Right now, I know a few people who have school tomorrow morning."

Adrien and Emma both groaned, and the latter turned to the former with sparkling, hopeful eyes.

"Sick day?" she asked.

He opened his mouth, but Marinette shut the idea down before he could agree that physics didn't sound all that appealing after such a late night.

"Alright, so I just have one question left," Emma said.

Marinette smiled patiently. "Just one?"

Emma paused. "Well, no. Actually, I have a million questions for Ladybug and Chat Noir, but just one more before I go to bed."

"Fire away, kitten!"

"Who was Hawkmoth really?"

It was like someone has scratched a record in her parent's brains. They stared at her, then at each other and had a silent conversation in that infuriating way that only adults can do.

"Um, maybe it would be best to save that story for another day."

 **Whoo! I did it! Part 2 complete! I almost put this as a** **separate** **one-shot, but decided it might be a it easier to find if I just put them together. And it didn't take me forever to post!**

 **This idea keeps getting bigger and bigger the more I work on it and think about it. I might turn it into a series of one-shots, in order, that center around Emma as well as Adrien and Marinette watching their baby grow up. I already know who has Tikki and the Ladybug Miraculous, and what epic battle will happen when they meet Emma as Chatte Noire (or maybe she'll come up with a new name for herself).**

 **Thank you so much to everyone to Favorited and Followed, and an extra big thank you to those of you who reviewed and motivated me to continue!**

 **Here's hoping the next update comes as quickly. I promise there will be less talking and more action in the next one-shot. Or maybe I should stop calling them one-shots and start calling them chapters... hmmm...**

 **~TygerSong**


	3. Battle of Words and Weapons

" _Com. link one check, can you hear me?_ "

"Yup."

" _ **Com. link two check, you read**_?"

"Loud and clear."

" _Do you have your baton?_ " Emma rolled her eyes.

" _Yes_ mom, I have my baton. How could I possibly forget it?"

" _ **Just let your mother mother you, she doesn't get to do it often**_ ," her dad teased.

" _I'm not just mothering_ ," her mom said, sounding just a little defensive. " _Every tool she needs is on that baton. Trackers, GPS, her phone. Not to mention it's her only real weapon and her only real defense other than cataclysm._ " she paused. " _And okay, yes, I'm mothering_. _I'm a mom, it's what I do._ "

Emma smirked, but neglected to reply. She allowed her baton to extend downward till it hit solid ground, and she stood there at the edge of the roof for a moment, a thrill of exhilaration zipping through her system. She'd been going out for two and a half weeks, but every night still felt like her first. Endless, new possibilities waited around each corner, and the probability of finding another Miraculous wielder increased every time she went out.

She took a deep breath, paced half a step back, then launched herself into the air, extending the baton further and catapulting herself into the sky and towards the nearest building.

She and her family lived in the same district that her parents had grown up in, and the layout was so familiar, Emma could walk it with her eyes closed. But from up above, everything looked different. Streetlamps and the lights from windows cast everything in a magical glow that looked like a clear night sky reflecting on itself. The night was still but for the cold night air slapping her face as she twisted and somersaulted through the air. The general smog that surrounded every city floated about lazily, creating an impressive layer of fog, and there was not a star to be seen in the sky.

A perfect night for a black cat.

Most sane people were safe in their homes by this point in the evening.. Everyone knew that the night belonged to the thieves, who had been taking more than their due as of late. A problem she was set on fixing. She didn't want her friends to be afraid of going out to a late movie anymore. Or for Mayor Chloe Bourgeois to stress ceaselessly about a solution that would not so easily be found. She was determined to help. Determined to make the night her own domain.

Her belt-like tail streamed out behind her like a banner, as she leapt the expansive gap between two buildings, landing in the gravel of the next roof without a sound. She loved the flip in her stomach each time she thought she would fall, like being on a rollercoaster only she controlled. It was a feeling she'd never felt before. She'd pushed herself to her physical limits before; pushed to be better than the best in her ballet, but _this_ was exhilaration beyond words, only feelings.

Out here, she was not Emma Agrest; she was Chatte Noire.

She positioned herself to leap again, and—

" _Do you think I should get my hair cut again? I think I liked my pixie cut better than this bob."_

The sound of her mother's voice, right in her ear, so unexpectedly, threw her off completely. She tripped over the toe of her boot, careened forward, windmilling her arms wildly to catch herself before ultimately falling towards her face. Some quick instinct took over, and she tucked and rolled over her shoulder at the last second, landing upright on one knee.

" _ **I think you look cute either way, but if you want the more professional look, I'd say that pixie cut you had for the Fashion Show last year in Rome is your best bet."**_

Noire groaned aloud, and was about to suggest that her parents continue the conversation later, or at least mute their side of the com., when a smug voice spoke up from the deep shadows.

"You know, when I first saw you running around, I thought you might actually be a threat." Noire whipped around and thanked her lucky stars for night vision. "But after seeing _that_ embarrassing landing, I'm starting to have second thoughts."

' _This is going to be one of those times when I can't come up with a good comeback until an hour later,'_ Noire sighed inwardly. ' _So maybe my best bet is brooding silence. Like Batman.'_

So she did just that. She angled herself towards him, crouched slightly, ready for a fight, and felt her tail lash dangerously behind her.

The boy, who couldn't have been much older than herself, squinted through the darkness at her. He was wearing equally dark garb as Noire herself— Black leather with what appeared to be two red spots on his chest.

' _One of the Miraculous thieves?'_ she wondered. She couldn't tell which one for the live of her though. ' _No wings, no fangs, he—'_

She gasped and barely had time to dodge his lightning quick attack. She hadn't even seen him reach for a yo-yo, but it was in his hand now, and he was swinging it at her so fast she didn't even have time to do anything but weave and dodge, relying entirely on her own speed and reflexes.

' _Ladybug,'_ she decided. ' _Definitely the Ladybug holder.'_

Chatte Noire finally managed to jump back and draw out her baton, just in time to smack the yo-yo away.

The Ladybug holder paused. "Not bad," he relented. "Not good either though. What, did you start using your Miraculous last week?"

' _Pretty much.'_ She didn't admit it out loud though. Instead, she took the opportunity to take the offensive, fainting to the right, getting in a solid hit to his back before slipping into the shadows where he obviously couldn't see well. The bug stumbled, and whipped around, face heated with fury. He roared and swung his yo-yo at her again, but this time she was ready. She countered easily, and recognized that he didn't have all that much more experience with his Miraculous than she did. He was fast, she would give him that, but he didn't really know what he was doing. He was just… swinging the end of the line at her.

At one point, his luck finally kicked in, and he managed to hit her shoulder, hard enough to bruise. Noire winced and slid back a step.

"Not bad, but not good either," she mimicked. "What, did you start using you Miraculous yesterday?"

She almost couldn't believe the words had slipped out of her mouth. _Never_ had she taunted someone, much less egged them on.

It seemed to have the desired effect though, because the guy had a temper, and as that temper burned, his movements got sloppier, which allowed Noire more chances to get hits in, which only made him even _angrier_.

" _I'm sorry, what was that_?" Marinette came through the com., sounding rightly panicked. " _Are you fighting one of the Miraculous holders? What happened to clue searching?"_

" _ **Nevermind that; that other holder just got burned, and he was burned by**_ **Emma** _!"_

" _Adrien!"_

Noire lept back from the fight long enough to put a hand to the com. in her ear.

"If you two could stop talking while I'm trying to concentrate, that would be great."

She really hoped she wouldn't get a lecture later for talking to them like that. She turned her full attention back to the villain at hand (the realized with a happy little jolt that this was her first ever super-villain battle) and realized that they were both standing in the light of a streetlamp. This seemed to through the other holder for a loop as well, because he was staring at her, like he'd been expecting someone else.

"What, cat got your tongue?" she asked.

' _I can't believe I just said that…'_ She could hear her dad snickering appreciatively in her ear. Surprisingly enough, the other holder did the same, letting his shoulders fall slack, and setting his yo-yo back on his hip.

"Not yet, you want it?" Now Noire was rather taken aback.

' _Good grief,'_ she thought. ' _Is this guy for real?'_

"I'm not particularly fond of bug-bites, so no, I'll pass." Although, she was feeling pretty pleased with herself right about then too.

The guy shrugged, and leaned casually up against the brick wall of a chimney stack.

"Your loss," he said. "The name's Stigma."

Noire raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "So, you consider yourself a disgrace or a visible sign of a disease?"

Stigma rolled his eyes and laughed humorlessly. "Ha ha, no. A chilocorus stigma, also known as the twice-stabbed lady beetle, is a type of ladybug."

Against her will, Noire felt herself storing the information away for later.

"How long did it take you to think up that one?" she asked. "Or did Google do all the work for you?"

The yo-yo on his hip chimed, and he glanced at it before sending her a charming smile.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," he said, plucking something else out of one of his many pockets. He raised his fist in the air, and Chatte Noire could only flinch back as he threw a small package on the ground, and it exploded into a fine white mist.

A smoke bomb.

With a growl of frustration, Noire leapt forward, swiping at the spot where Stigma had stood. She missed once, twice, but on her third swing, the tip of her middle claw swiped against something solid. She heard a hiss of pain, but then he was gone.

She ran to each edge of the rooftop, trying to find a trace of him, but he was good at covering his tracks, and there was no way to track him. She'd lost him.

 **Wow! I'm on a roll! Three chapters in one week? Unheard of! (For me anyway).**

 **So we've found the Ladybug Miraculous holder, Stigma! What do you think of him so far? Will he be another flirty Chat Noir? An evil manipulative** **heart-breaker** **? A misunderstood, mislead boy? Something in the middle? Hmmmm...**

 **Quick French Lesson: Chat Noir is actually a masculine term for black cat. The feminine translation is Chatte Noire. Thus the spelling change. They're also pronounced differently. :)**

 **~TygerSong**


	4. Day After

"—just supposed to be a fact-finding mission; a patrol for finding clues! That's what we agreed! You were not supposed to engage! What if he—"

"—What exactly was it that he said about bug bites? And what did it have to do with tongue? How old was he? What was he—"

"—and with the power of good luck on his side, and you still figuring out how to direct the bad luck at other people, you were at a severe disadvantage tactically. You are lucky you came out of that with nothing but a bruised shoulder and smoke in your eyes! Do you know how worried I was listening to you fighting and the groans and grunts and, and—"

"Was he at least good at puns? No, you know what? Puns aren't good enough. He's not good enough for you. Don't fall for the puns, Emma."

"Adrien, honey, would you focus for a second please?"

"I am focused! Some boy was flirting with Emma! A bad boy!"

'Tennis,' Emma decided, eyes bouncing from one parent to the other. 'It's like watching a tennis match.'

She'd been home for all of five seconds, long enough to de-transform, when she'd been caught in an avalanche of hugs and kisses by her parents. For several minutes, they searched her to make sure she was okay, then they'd sat her down on the couch, handed her a plate of cookies and cheese (the latter of which was obviously for her kwami) and proceeded to give her the dressing-down of a lifetime.

"This is why we typically avoid telling parents when we can," Plagg groaned in Emma's ear. "It's always the same… well, Adrien's bit is knew. Most dads wait until later to panic about their 'little girl' getting hit on by a guy."

"And you!" Marinette spun on the kwami who suddenly found himself in the spotlight. He stood to immediate attention, dropping his cube of half-eaten cheese and staring at the terrifying mamma-bear about to maul him. "You said she wouldn't be fighting until later when she either had a partner or found some clues. That was more than a clue! That was Tikki's new holder! Her new abuser!"

Plagg drooped heavily under the guilt placed on his tiny shoulders. Abuser. He didn't like that word.

"It was a mistake," he said quietly. "We should have prepared for something like this."

Adrien snorted and crossed his arms, glaring daggers at his former kwami.

"Damn straight," he said. "You forgot to mention one of the thieves was a teenage boy."

Marinette leveled him with a flat look.

"For heaven's sake, Adrien, Emma was just in a fight and—"

"And she did fine," he said. "Better than fine, she held her own against a Ladybug— Stigma whatever." This gave Marinette pause, and something finally clicked. Adrien took the opportunity to continue. "Emma took five years of mixed martial arts training, and is going on eleven years of ballet. She's a strong girl, and she knows how to defend herself. I'll work with her to show her the ins and outs of the Black Cat's weapons too, but for a first fight, she did amazing. Not only that, but she verbally kicked some butt too. Only problem is he seems to be on par with her in that department…"

Everyone else in the room stared at him.

Marinette blinked slowly and said, "That… actually kind of makes sense."

"'Course it does, I didn't just completely disregard our daughter's safety." He sent a wink Emma's way, and she relaxed into the couch cushions, and finally took a bite of a cookie.

Marinette took a calming breath. "Alright," she said, glancing at her small wrist watch. "It's late. We'll talk about a Chatte Noire training regimen tomorrow." She place a kiss on Emma's forehead. "Night sweetie. Don't forget to brush those teeth."

Emma refrained from rolling her eyes. "Yeah, mom, I know. I'm not five."

That struck Marinette harder than Emma would ever realize.

"I know."

* * *

'Chilocorus stigma, commonly known as the twice-stabbed lady beetle, is a native resident of the United States and Canada, but does not live west of the Sierra Nevada. The two-stabbed lady beetle is found widespread in California.'

Emma glanced at the picture of the black ladybug with two prominent red spots on it's shell, then clicked on the Wikipedia page.

'C. stigma mainly lives within terrestrial/arboreal habitats, primarily feeding off aphids found in these habitats as well as scales (such as pine needles scale, beech bark scale, and—'

"Blah blah, boring, blah!" Plagg complained. "You've been researching forever! We need a cheese break!"

"We've been searching for twenty minutes," Emma deadpanned. "That hardly qualifies as 'forever.' And if you want some cheese, just go get it yourself. You don't have to hide from my parents anymore."

"But the kitchen is so far awaaay…" he whined. "And… I forgot how to get there. You live in a very big house."

She sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. "I really need to do this research," she said. "Get a one-up on Stigma if I can. Mom already told me the normal weaknesses of a Ladybug like the cold and that, because he's a guy, he's actually going to be weaker than my mom was as a Ladybug, which is kind of nice."

"Yeah, that's typically why the girls are more drawn to Tikki," Plagg explained. "But since you seem to know so much already, let's get some cheese!"

"There's just one thing I don't understand," she sighed, clicking on another link. "Why is his suit different? Did he request Tikki to make him look like that? Was it a personal decision?"

"Not likely," Plagg said. "Often times, the suit will reflect the needs as well as the personality of the Miraculous wearer. If the holder wears the Miraculous with the intention of being sneaky, and going around stealing stuff, bright red isn't going to do much for him, but black will."

"So why is my suit mostly the same as my dad's?" she asked. "Why doesn't it reflect my personality?"

Plagg shrugged. "My guess is, your drive to be like him. He and Ladybug were part of your drive to be a hero, so you took on the suit as part of your personality and drive."

"Well that's… interesting, but not altogether very useful information." She sighed and turned back to her computer, opening up another tab. "Time to keep searching." Plagg whined again.

"But cheeeeeeese!"

* * *

"Hey, Nino, just calling to see if you wanted to meet up, shoot some hoops, or play Mega Strike… geez, what number are they at now? Fifteen? Anyway, just wanted to catch up, hang out, talk about why you didn't tell me you got my daughter a cat." Adrien sighed and rubbed his brow. "Call me when you get the chance— and don't just keep ignoring me!"

He hit the 'end call' button, and turned to Marinette.

"Could have been a little less passive aggressive, but it was a good effort," she said.

He groaned and collapsed onto the loveseat beside her.

"I just don't get why he wouldn't tell us," he said. "We're in the know in all things Miraculous. We might not have volunteered to put the suits on again, but we still could have helped. Plus… she's our daughter. A little warning would have been nice."

"Just remember to hear him out," Marinette suggested. "There could be a good reason he and Fu didn't tell us… could be he didn't want us setting up a three way communication link with her to distract her on patrol and in battle."

They exchanged sheepish looks.

"Yeah, we maybe could have thought that one through a little better," he admitted. "Not a bad idea just… poorly executed. Maybe we should just be on standby for when she calls."

Marinette hummed in agreement, and they sat in contemplative silence for a while, Adrien running absentminded circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. Then he huffed in laughter.

"When did we become 'The guy in the chair'?" He asked.

Marinette gave him a look.

"You watched Spider-Man again, didn't you?"

A charismatic grin. "Yeah, but you and I are cooler than Ned."

"Cooler than a high schooler in a computer lab? I hope so."

They both jumped when Adrien's phone exploded into song.

"Teenage mutant ninja turtles! Teenage mutant ninja turtles! Teenage mutant ninja turtles! Mutants in a half—"

"Nino might throttle you if he finds out what your ringtone for him is."

Adrien grinned, and never would that mischievous smile not be known as the "Chat Noir" grin.

"If he finds out," he repeated. "Now, shhhh! I need to put on a serious face."

He cleared his throat, put on a straight face, and answered the call.

"Nino, time and place; we need to talk."

 **Yay! Part Four is up! I realize these one-shots turned chapters are short, but I figured if I don't post often, then I might loose motivation, so short chapters more often it is! If ever there is a time when I don't post for a while, rest assured, I will make up for it with an extra** ** _extra_** **long chapter. :)**

 **Alsoooo... Thank You SO MUCH to everyone who has reviewed this story! I realize I am TERRIBLE about writing back to you guys, and I'm going to try and change that starting now... and I'll try to go back and reply if it's not too late.**

 **Special thanks to you guys for keeping me motivated with this project! (You guys sometimes** **literally** **make me so happy that I squeak, and then the people around me give me that sideways look like, "What the heck?") ^-^'**

 **Until next time!**

 **~TygerSong**


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